Gottex is an Israeli goods designer swimwear

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

based in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

History

Gottex was founded in

Tel Aviv, Israel Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, in 1956 by

Lea Gottlieb Lea Gottlieb (September 17, 1918 – November 17, 2012) was an Israeli fashion designer and businesswoman. She immigrated to Israel from Hungary after World War II, and founded the Gottex company. Biography Lea Lenke Roth (later Gottlieb) was bo ...

, who headed the design team until 1998. She adapted her expertise as a

raincoat A raincoat is a waterproof or water-resistant garment worn on the upper body to shield the wearer from rain. The term rain jacket is sometimes used to refer to raincoats with long sleeves that are waist-length. A rain jacket may be combined with ...

manufacturer to create a pioneering swimsuit company.Fashion windows: Gottex
She sold her wedding ring for capital, bought fabric, borrowed a sewing machine and began to design swimsuits that were unique to Israel, inspired by the local Middle-Eastern light and colors: "the aqua of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, the golden yellow of the desert, the blue of

Lake Tiberias The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest f ...

, the pink of

Jerusalem stone Jerusalem stone (Hebrew: אבן ירושלמית; Arabic: حجر القدس) is a name applied to various types of pale limestone, dolomite and dolomitic limestone, common in and around Jerusalem that have been used in building since ancient tim ...

and the greens of the Galilee." During the German occupation of Hungary, Gottlieb was forced to move with her husband and daughters from one hiding place to another. To avoid being recognized as a Jew when passing through checkpoints, she used to tuck her head in a bouquet of flowers. She said that the flower motifs in her designs were a tribute to the flowers that saved her life. In Gottlieb's vision, Gottex collections can be worn "from pool to the bar", and then to a restaurant or cocktail parties. In addition to swimsuits, Gottex produces caftans, tunics and trousers, combining swimwear and beachwear. Gottex is a pioneer of swimsuits with hard-cup bras. Gottex is known for using innovative fabrics. It was the first manufacturer to introduce

spandex Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...

. In 1975, she was contacted by the fashion houses of Yves St. Laurent and

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (, , ), born Pietro Costante Cardino (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric sha ...

, which sought to manufacture her swimsuits under their names. Instead, she expanded into men's and children's swimwear, bed linens, towels and drapes. By the 1980s, Gottex swimsuits were being worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, Spain's

Queen Sofia Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mo ...

, Elizabeth Taylor, and Brooke Shields. In 1997, Gottex was acquired by the Lev Leviev of the

Africa-Israel Group Africa Israel Investments Ltd. (AFI Group) is an international holding and investment company based in Yehud, Israel. The group consists of several private and public companies active in areas such as real estate, construction, infrastructure, ...

. In 1993, Gottex was America's top swimsuit import. According to the

Israel Export Institute The Israel Export Institute (IEI; he, מכון היצוא הישראלי, maḥon ha-yitsu ha-yisra'eli) is an Israeli governmental agency which operates under the Ministry of Trade and Labor to facilitate trade opportunities, joint ventures, an ...

, exports of Israeli swimwear totaled $44 million in 1999.

References

External links

*
Gottex Swimwear
{{Authority control 1956 establishments in Israel Clothing companies of Israel Manufacturing companies based in Tel Aviv Fashion accessory brands High fashion brands Israeli brands Luxury brands Swimwear manufacturers Tavistock Group Swimwear brands

History

See also

References

External links